I could still feel the ghostof him clinging to me as we stepped into the elevator on the way into therecording studio. Warm, and needy, and trusting me to keep him safe.
All the things I was weakestagainst.
“Was it that obvious?” Quinnasked.
“I may have a bruise,” Iteased. I didn’t—Quinn hadn’t grabbed me nearly hard enough. But if he’d beenany stronger I got the feeling I would have been risking a cracked rib.
Just as well he waspint-sized.
“Sorry.” He looked down athis shoes. “Itwasfun, though.”
When he looked up again,there was a shy smile lighting up his pretty face.
Adorable, my brainsupplied.
Hard to argue with that. Hewas objectively adorable.
I just needed to stopthinkingit.
“Anything I should knowbefore we head up here? Etiquette, common procedure…”
“If you piss off thereceptionist he’ll insist on taking a photocopy of your driver’s license everysingle time you come in,” Quinn said. “I learned that one the hard way. He’sonly just forgiven me, and it took alotof coffee.”
“Should we have stopped forcoffee, then?” I asked, smiling at the thought of Quinn groveling to a man he’dupset by accident. He was too quick to apologize, but he was always sincere. Icould tell he was the kind of person who’d hate to think he’d hurt anyone.
“Already arranged. This isLA. I just book the coffee service on my phone. I, uh. I got you tea. EnglishBreakfast?” he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “With milk andsugar.”
I blinked at him.
He’d heard me complain aboutteaonce, and he’d not onlythought to include me, he’d also remembered how I took it.
I didn’t do thecelebrity work. Logan had gotten himself a name for being good at that and Grayand I left it to him.
Quinn was nothing like Iimagined. Nothing like the stories Logan came back with, either.
He was a sweetheart. Apocket-sized sweetheart I wanted to protect from all possible harm.
That was probably a normalreaction.
“Uh, yes,” I answered a beattoo late. “Thank you. Much obliged.”
“Seemed like the least Icould do after yesterday afternoon,” he said.
I wasn’t sure if hemeant after me kicking his uncle out, or after not having any tea in the house,crying into my t-shirt, or walking in on me in the shower. Maybe all four.
“Girls mustlovethat bike,” he said,nodding to the receptionist and getting a smile in return as we went past.Clearly, he was forgiven for whatever past transgressions he’d been guilty of.
“Boys, too,” I agreed.
Quinn stopped dead, lookingup at me with wide eyes.
I’d said it casually, but Icould see it’d struck a nerve.
“I think of myself as equalopportunity.” I beamed, pretending not to notice the fact that he looked like acornered rabbit. “Happy to enjoy the loveliness of people of all genders. Well.All the genders I’ve encountered so far.”
Quinn’s whole facechanged, wonder flitting over it before he managed to pull himself togetheragain. Long enough to see how much he would have liked that for himself, orsomething like it.
My heart ached for him.
